I bought a Wingsung 699 recently from AliExpress because I wanted to try out a vacuum filler. Ink leaks from around the nib whenever I cap it, leading to ink getting on the grip. When I write, blobs of ink sometimes burp out onto the page. Is this typical for this brand? I have another no name Wingsung (I think it's actually a knockoff of the Hongdian dark forest) that has no issues.
Hmm, that's not been my experience. I have probably 15ish pens from Jinhao and Wing Sung, and only one had a (minor) QC problem. They write well, for the price, and you certainly don't need to buy a handful to get a single good one (at least of the ones I've gotten). Sure, you should be prepared for the possibility that you might get a lemon, but I do think that that's the exception, not the rule (at least these days).